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Google’s Chromecast Audio is a small device that you can plug into virtually any speaker to stream audio content from the internet. You can use it to stream internet radio stations, music, podcasts, or just about anything else. It also supports multi-room audio, letting you listen to the same thing on speakers throughout your house.

Google introduced Chromecast Audio in 2015 and the company has been selling it for $35 ever since… although for the last month or so it’s been on sale for just $15.

And now that sale is starting to look like a clearance sale, because it turns out Google has discontinued Chromecast Audio.

Yesterday redditor joliolioli wrote that they h ad been informed by Google that the product was discontinued, but I took that with a grain of salt since customer support representatives aren’t always accurate sources of information about product launches, release dates, or cancellations.

But then Android Police (and several other websites) reached out to Google for confirmation and got an official statement making it clear that Google has “stopped manufacturing our Chromecast Audio products.”

Google will continue to support the device, but once stores sell out of their remaining inventory, that’ll be it.

While Chromecast Audio is dead, the platform lives on. A number of speakers now ship with Chromecast functionality baked in, letting you use your phone, tablet, or PC as a remote control while streaming audio from the internet directly to a speaker. No dongle required.

But if you’re still hoping for a cheap way to make a dumb speaker smarter, you can still pick up a Chromecast Audio from select stores while supplies last. It’s still available from the Google Store for $15. It’s also available for the same price from Google’s eBay Store, Staples, and B&H. Meanwhile GameStop is selling the Chromecast Audio for $14.

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6 replies on “Google discontinues Chromecast Audio”

  1. It does seem a bit odd that suddenly absolutely nobody has them in stock; it’s almost as if Google told them to stop selling it. I’m waiting for the other shoe/new product to drop.
    Owning a stereo system seems to be outdated and folksy these days. The perception has become that all you really need is smart speakers,
    Perhaps the desire for high fidelity is decreasing proportionately to the quality/types of music being produced/purchased today. God, I feel so old…

    1. And the alternative to a Google Chromecast is to either buy a smart speaker ($40 and all your privacy, maybe. Alexa, was that three gunshots or four?) or slim PC ($140) running Spotify ™ which does OK with device-agnostic ‘remote’ controls.

    2. Every store in the Boston area is sold out… cannot find them online. Does seem very sudden! I wish the Google Mini had optical out. I suppose I could get out my soldering iron and change it from having a speaker to an rca output — but that’d be mono, unless there’s wiring for stereo internally available I could get access too…

  2. I feel lucky I bought 4 when they came out. Who needs Sonos? I already had stereos in almost every room in the house. With these I have the same music all over and can control it (via phone) no matter where I am in the house. The only issue with them is if you leave them plugged in all the time they tend to eat up bandwidth on your network. I usually leave a couple of them unplugged most of the time unless I want entire house sound. the other two get rebooted semi regularly.

    1. I plug them into the switchable outlet on the back of the amplifier, so they are only powered when I’m listening (or potentially listening).

  3. Cripes! I love these things! I wished I knew they were going to cancel it — I just checked all the places you listed and they were out of stock and doing internet searches isn’t finding any in stock either!

    I already have two, but would love to get a couple more.

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